/git-workflow-playground

Git workflow playground: Contributing to a project

Git workflow playground

  • adding some changes by the owner.
  • some changes by a contributor.
  • yet another change by the owner.
  • yet another change by a contributor.
  • final change by the owner.
  • final change by a contributor.

Contributing to a project

The first time you start contributing:

  1. Fork the repo on github.

  2. git clone https://github.com/<your-username>/repo.git

  3. cd /path/to/repo

  4. Add a remote called e.g. upstream points to the original repo:
    git remote add upstream https://github.com/<repo-owner>/repo.git

  5. Assuming the main branch of original repo is master, pull repo before editing:
    git pull upstream master

  6. Create a new branch called e.g. topic-branch to develop and test features without putting your main project at risk.
    git checkout -b topic-branch master

  7. Do some changes.

  8. Commit snapshots of those changes into your repo (use -a flag to add files on the stage git add .):
    git commit -a -m "your commit message here"

  9. Push topic-branch commits to your remote repo stored on GitHub, using origin remote.
    git push origin topic-branch

  10. Send a pull request.

Now and later on:

  1. Make master the active branch.
    git checkout master

  2. Pull original repo before editing:
    git pull upstream master

  3. Make topic-branch the active branch.
    git checkout topic-branch

  4. Use rebase or merge to make sure that your commits go on top of the master branch:
    git rebase master or git merge --no-ff master

  5. Do some changes.

  6. Commit snapshots of those changes into your repo (use -a flag to add files on the stage git add .):
    git commit -a -m "your commit message here"

  7. Push commits to your remote repo stored on GitHub. If you want to keep all branches up-to-date, do NOT add topic-branch at the end of the code below:
    git push origin

I hope this approach will be helpful for you ;)